general name of Minstrels) should consist of instrumental performers chiefly, if not altogether: for, as the composer or singer of heroic tales to the harp would necessarily be a solitary performer, we must not expect to find him in the band along with the trumpeters, fluters, &c.

46

However, as we sometimes find mention of " Minstrels of Music :" so at other times we hear of expert Minstrels and Musicians of Tongue and Cunning," (B b 3) p. xxxviit, meaning doubtless by the former, singers, and probably by the latter phrase, composers, of songs. Even "Minstrels Music" seems to be applied to the species of verse used by Minstrels in the passage quoted below.

But although, from the predominancy of instrumental Music, Minstralsy was at length chiefly to be understood in this sense, yet it was still applied

⚫ T. Warton, ii. 258, note (a) from Leland's Collect. (vol. iv. Append. edit. 1774, p. 267.)

+ The curious author of the "Tour in Wales, 1773," 4to. p. 435, I find to have read these words "in toune and contrey;" which I can scarce imagine to have been applicable to Wales at that time. Nor can I agree with him in the representation he has given (p. 367,) concerning the Cymmorth or meeting, wherein the Bards exerted their powers to excite their countrymen to war; as if it were by a deduction of the particulars he enumerates, and as it should seem in the way of harangue, &c. After which," the band of Minstrels.......struck up; the harp, the crwth, and the pipe filled the measures of enthusiasm, which the others bad begun to inspire." Whereas it is well known, that the Bard chanted his enthusiastic effusions to the harp; and as for the term Minstrel, it was not, I conceive, at all used by the Welsh; and in English it comprehended both the bard and the musician.

"Your ordinarie rimers use very much their measures in the odde, as nine and eleven, and the sharpe accent upon the last sillable, which therefore makes him go ill favouredly and like a Minstrels musicke." (Puttenham's Arte of Eng. Poesie, 1589, p. 59). This must mean his vocal music, otherwise it appears not applicable to the subject.

to the Poetry of Minstrels so late as the time of
Queen Elizabeth, as appears in the following extract
from Puttenham's "Arte of Eug. Poesie," p. 9,
who, speaking of the first composers of Latin verses
in ryme, says, all that they wrote to the favor or
prayse of Princes, they did it in such manner of
Minstralsie; and thought themselves no small fooles,
when they could make their verses go all in ryme."
I shall conclude this subject with the following
description of Minstrelcy given by John Lidgate at
the beginning of the 15th century, as it shows what
a variety of entertainments were then comprehended
under this term, together with every kind of instru-
mental Music then in use:

-"Al maner Mynstralcye,
That any man kan specifye.

Ffor there were Rotys of Almayne,
And eke of Arragon, and Spayne:
Songes, Stampes, and eke Daunces;
Divers plente of plesaunces :
And many unkouth notys new
Of swiche folke as lovid treue*.
And instrumentys that did excelle,
Many moo than I kan telle.
Harpys, Fythales, and eke Rotys
Well according to her [i. e. their] notys,
Lutys, Ribibles, and Geternes,
More for estatys, than tavernes :
Orgay [n] s, Cytolis, Monacordys.—
There were Trumpes, and Trumpettes,
Lowde Shall [m] ys, and Doucettes."

T. Warton, ii. 225, note (*).

By this phrase I understand, New Tales or Narrative Rymnes composed by the Minstrels on the subject of true and faithful Lovers, &c.

OF

:

THE fine heroic song of Chevy-Chase has ever been admired by competent judges. Those genuine strokes of nature and artless passion, which have endeared it to the most simple readers, have recommended it to the most refined; and it has equally been the amusement of our childhood, and the favorite of our riper years.

Mr. Addison has given an excellent critique* on this very popular ballad, but is mistaken with regard to the antiquity of the common-received copy; for this, if one may judge from the style, cannot be older than the time of Elizabeth, and was probably written after the eulogium of Sir Philip Sydney: perhaps in consequence of it. I flatter myself, I have here recovered the genuine antique poem; the true original song, which appeared rude even in the time of Sir Philip, and caused him to lament that it was so evil apparelled in the rugged garb of antiquity.

This curiosity is printed, from an old manuscript, at the end of Hearne's preface to Gul. Newbrigiensis Hist. 1719, 8vo. vol i. To the MS. copy is subjoined the name of the author, Rychard Shealet ; whom Hearne had so little judgement as to suppose to be the same with a R. Sheale, who was living in 1588. But whoever examines the gradation of language and idiom in the folowing volumes, will be convinced that this is the production of an earlier poet. It is indeed expressly mentioned among some very ancient songs in an old book intituled, The Complaint of Scotland‡, (fol. 42), under the title of

• Spectator, No. 70, 74.

+ Subscribed, after the usual manner of our old poets, EXPLICETH [explicit] QUOTH RYCHARD SHEALS.

One of the earliest productions of the Scottish press, now to be found. The title page was wanting in the copy here quoted; but it is supposed to have been printed in 1540. See Ames.

the Huntis of Chevet, where the two following lines are also quoted:

The Perssee and the Mongumrye mette",
That day, that day, that gentil day † :

which, though not quite the same as they stand in the ballad, yet differ not more than might be owing to the author's quoting from memory. Indeed, whoever considers the style and orthography of this old poem will not be inclined to place it lower than the time of Henry VI.: as on the other hand the mention of JAMES THE SCOTTISH KING,‡, with one or two anachronisms, forbids us to assign it an earlier date. King James I, who was prisoner in this kingdom at the death of his fathers, did not wear the crown of Scotland till the second year of our Henry VI., but before the end of that long reign a third James had mounted the throne. A succession of two or three Jameses, and the long detention of one of them in England, would render the name familiar to the English, and dispose a poet in those rude times to give it to any Scottish king he happened to men

t on.

So much for the date of this old ballad: with regard to its subject, although it has no countenance from history, there is room to think it had originally some foundation in fact. It was one of the Laws of the Marches frequently renewed between the two nations, that neither party should hunt in the other's borders, without leave from the proprietors or their

See Pt. 2. v. 25. See Pt. 1. v. 104. Pt. 2. v 36, 140. Who died Aug. 5, 1406, in the 7th. year of our Hen. IV. James I. was crowned May 22, 1424; murdered Feb. 21. 1406-7. In 1430.-Hen. VI. was deposed 1461: restored and slain, 1471.

B

deputies. There had long been a rivalship between the two martial families of Percy and Douglas, which, heightened by the national quarrel, must have produced frequent challenges and struggles for superiority, petty invasions of their respective domains, and sharp contests for the point of honour; which would not always be recorded in history. Something of this kind, we may suppose, gave rise to the ancient ballad of the Hunting a' the Cheviat+. Percy Earl of Northumberland had vowed to hunt for three days in the Scottish border, without condescending to ask leave from Earl Douglas, who was either lord of the soil, or lord warden of the marches. Douglas would not fail to resent the insult, and endeavour to repel the intruders by force: this would naturally produce a sharp conflict between the two parties; something of which, it is probable, did really happen, though not attended with the tragical circumstances recorded in the ballad: for these are evidently borrowed from the Battle of Otterbourn‡, a very different event, but which aftertimes would easily confound with it. That battle might be owing to some such previous affront as this of Chevy-Chase, though it has escaped the notice of historians. Our poet has evidently jumbled the two subjects together: if indeed the lines, in which this mistake is made, are not rather spurious, and the after-insertion of some person, who did not distinguish between the two stories.

Hearne has printed this ballad without a any division of stanzas, in long lines, as he found it in the old written copy but it is usual to find the distinction of stanzas neglected in ancient MSS; where, to save room, two or three verses are frequently given in one line undivided. See flagrant instances in the Harleian Catalog. No. 2253. s. 29, 34, 61, 70, et passim.

THE FIRST FIT|.

THE Persè owt of Northombarlande,
And a vowe to God mayd he,

That he wolde hunte in the mountayns

Off Chyviat within dayes thre,

The wear borne a-long be the watter a Twyde, Yth bowndes of Tividale.

30

In the mauger of doughtè Dogles,

5

And all that ever with him be.

Leave off the brytlyng of the dear, he sayde,

The fattiste hartes in all Cheviat

He sayd he wold kill, and cary them away: Be my feth, sayd the dougheti Doglas agayn, I wyll let that hontyng yf that I may.

And to your bowys look ye tayk good heed; For never sithe ye wear on your mothars borne Had ye never so mickle need.

Then the Persè owt of Banborowe cam, With him a myghtye meany;

With fifteen hondrith archares bold;

The wear chosen out of shyars thre*.

V. 5. magger in Hearne's PC. [Printed Copy). V. 11, The the Perse, PC. V. 13, archardes bolde on blood and bone, PC.

* Item....Concordatum est, quod....nullus unius partis vel alterius ingrediatur terras, boschas, forrestas, warrenas, loca, dominia quæcunque alicujus partis alterius subditi, causa venandi, piscandi, aucupandi, disportum aut solatium in eisdem, aliave quæcunque de causa, absque licentia ejus ....ad quem...loca....pertinent, aut de deputatis suis prius capt. & obtent. Vid. Bp. Nicolson's Leges Marchiarum, 1705. 8vo, pp. 27, 51.

This was the original title. See the ballad, Pt. 1. v. 106 Pt. 2, v. 165.

See the next ballad. Vid. Pt. 2. v. 167.

Fit, see ver. 100.

Thorowe ryche male, and myne-ye-ple

Many sterne the stroke downe streight:
Many a freyke, that was full free,
That undar foot dyd lyght.

At last the Duglas and the Persè met,
Lyk to captayns of myght and mayne;
The swapte togethar tyll the both swat

With swordes, that wear of fyn myllàn.

Thes worthè freckys for to fyght
Ther-to the wear full fayne,

Tyll the bloode owte off their basnetes sprente,
As ever dyd heal or rayne.

Holde the, Persè, sayd the Doglas,

And i' feth I shall the brynge

Wher thowe shalte have a yerls wagis

Of Jamy our Scottish kynge.

Thoue shalte have thy ransom fre,

10

15

20

25

30

I hight the hear this thinge,

THE SECOND FIT.

I tolde it the beforne, That I wolde never yeldyde be

To no man of a woman born.

With that ther cam an arrowe hastely Forthe off a mightie wane*,

In at the brest bane.

Thoroue lyvar and longs bathe

The sharp arrowe ys gane,

100

And youe wyll here any mor athe hountyng athe Yet ys ther mor behynde.

[Chyviat,

Hit hathe strekene the yerle Duglas

may,

For my lyff days ben gan.

And that was sene verament,

For he wrought hom both woo and wouche.

V. 65, whoys, PC. V. 71, agay, PC. V. 81, sayd the the. PC. V. 88, on, i. e. one. V. 3, first, i. e. flight. V. 5, byddys, PC.

This is probably corrupted in the MS. 'for Rog Widdrington, who was at the head of the family in the reign of K. Edw. III. There were several successively of the names of Roger and Ralph, but none of the name of Richard, as appears from the genealogies in the Heralds office.

Fit, vid. Gloss.

That never after in all his lyffe days,

He spayke mo wordes but ane,

45

50

That was †, Fyghte ye, my merry men, whyllys ye

V. 17, boys, P. C. V. 18, briggt, PC. V. 21, thorowe, PC. V. 22, done, PC. V. 26, to, i. e. two. Ibid, and of, PC. V. 32, ran, PC. V. 33, helde, PC. V. 49, thorowe, PC.

Wane, i. e. ane, one, sc. man, an arrow came from a mighty one from a mighty man.

+ This seems to have been a Gloss added.